Straw packaging machine



Aug. 7, 1951 s. A. FRANCO STRAW PACKAGING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed Sept. 26, 19517 ATTO RN EY S. A. FRANCO STRAW PACKAGING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO R N EY Aug.- 7, 1951 Filed Sept. 26, 1947 A WE,

Aug. 7, 1951 s. A. FRANCO 2,563,404

STRAW PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR SHLHQZUHE H. FfifZ/VC'C BY flu- ATTORNEY 1951 s. A. FRANCO 2,563,404

,STRAW PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 w 8 w 1 Eg s B\ Q g m\ .11) m w Q Q m 0 8} q N Q Q Q &

Q Q g M Q INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 7, 1951 s. A. FRANCO STRAW PACKAGING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 26, 1947 QqQ ATTORNEY Aug. 7, 1951 s. A. FRANCO STRAW PACKAGING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Sept. 26, 1947 A Qmw INVENTOR 51 114 170195 H. F/ZQN'CO BY 5% Away ATTORNEY Aug. 1951 s. A. FRANCO 2,563,404

STRAW PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 1 INVENTOR BY 52% $4M ATTORNEY .Aug. 7, 1951 s. A. FRANCO 2,563,404

STRAW PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 IIIIIIIIIIIIII m fun m mm &

INVENTOR I SHLMZTOKE 6 FR?! F 1 11 BYFM m ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 7, 1951 STRAW PACKAGING MACHINE Salvatore A. Franco, Medford Station (Patchogue), N. Y., assignor to Diamond Straw 8; Machine Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation' Application September 26, 1947, Serial No. 776,350

3 Claims. 1 This invention relates generally to articlepackaging machines, and more particularly to machines which package drinking straws for sanitary individual use.

Prior machines of this type are known which pack one or two drinking straws in a tube-like wrapper of paper or the like and seal the ends of the wrapper. These prior machines operate on the principle of sliding the wrapper over one or two straws, or sliding the straw or straws into the wrapper, and then sealing the ends of the wrapper. The wrappers are cut from a paper tube which is continuously formed in the machine from flat paper stock, and a supply of straws is stored in a hopper from which they are ejected in an orderly fashion. In one instance the straws are ejected from the hopper directly onto a conveyor which carries them to a station at which wrappers are slid over them, and in another instance the wrappers are placed on a conveyor, as they are cut from the paper tube, and carried to a station at which the ejected straws are slid into them. In either instance, the wrappers and enclosed straws are further carried by the conveyor past a station at which the wrapper ends are sealed, to a station where the completely packaged straws are ejected from the machine.

The present machine is of the type in which the straws are slid into the wrappers, and it is the primary aim and object of the present invention to provide a machine of this type which is simpler in construction, more reliable in operation, and capable of greater efiiciency, than previous machines of this type.

Accordingly, it is a specific object of the present invention to provide a hopper in which a supply of straws is stored and from which straws are ejected unfailingly in an orderly fashion and with greater rapidity than was heretofore possible.

It is another specific object of the present invention to provide for the reliable placement of individual wrappers at heretofore unattainable speed onto a conveyor which, in turn, is indexed in unusually quick steps.

It is another specific object of the present invention to make provisions in the machine for rapidly and unfailingly sliding the ejected straws into the conveyed wrappers. It is another specific object of the present invention to construct the machine so that the same is, despite its high operating speed, free from vibration and shock, and operating parts thereof are little subjected to wear,

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description, considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically the major steps performed by the present machine, from the formation of the paper wrappers to the completely packaged straws;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the present machine;

Fig. 3 is another fragmentary perspective view of the machine as viewed in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a close-up perspective view of a conveyor of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the machine as viewed in the direction of the arrow 6 in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a plan view of a certain operating device of the machine;

Fig. 8 is a section taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 99 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged section taken on the line l0-|ll of Fig. 5;

Fig. 11 is a section taken on the line ll--H of Fig. 10;

Fig. 11A is an enlarged section taken on the line |lA-IIA of Fig. 5;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged section taken on the line l2-l2 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 13 is a section taken on the line l3-l3 of Fig. 8.

Briefly, the present machine performs the following major steps in forming wrappers and packaging straws therein. As indicated in Fig. 1, paper band 20 from a supply roll is formed continuously into a tube 22 having a bonded" seam 24 longitudinally thereof. The seam 24 is formed in the tube 20 by intercrimping the overlapped side margins of the paper band 2|]. Individual wrappers 26 of tubular form are then cut from the tube 22 and placed on a rotary conveyor which is indexed step-by-step so as to bring the wrappers 26 thereon successively to an assembly station at which one or more drinking straws 28, in the present instance two straws, are slid or injected into each aligned wrapper 26. The wrappers 26 and inserted straws 28 are then carried by the conveyor past a station at which the open ends of the wrappers are sealed along the transverse seams 30 which. like the 4, and 6). Each wheel I48 is provided with a plurality of peripheral notches I50 for the reception of paper wrappers 26 in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The conveyor I49 is indexed stepby-step by mechanism described hereinafter, and wrappers 26 are placed, in a manner hereinafter described and during intermittent stops of the conveyor, in aligned notches I50 of the wheels I48. More particularly, the continuously forming and advancing paper tube 22 enters, during successive intermittent stops of the conveyor I49, aligned notches I50 in the conveyor wheels I42 of which successive ones align with the tube 22 on successive indexing steps of the conveyor. Every time the tube has advanced into aligned notches I50 in the conveyor wheels I48, the same is cut by the scissors I02 so as to leave a cut-off wrapper 26 on the conveyor wheels I46 on which it is then safely supported, but notyet correctly positioned thereon. The scissors I02 thereupon act, in a manner hereinafter described, to advance the wrapper further on the conveyor wheels I48 into correct disposition thereon.

Conveyor indexing mechanism C As best shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, there is mounted on the conveyor shaft I46 a pin wheel I52 which is provided with as many equi-angularly spaced pins I54 as there are notches I50 in either conveyor wheel I48. Cooperating with the pin wheel I 52 is a driver I56 on a shaft I 58 which, as shown in Fig. 5, is journaled in bearing brackets I60 on the machine base 34. The driver I56 is provided with a peripheral flange I52, a portion I64 of which is gradually curved out of the plane of the flange I62 (Fig. 5) so as to provide in the latter a gap I66 of a width which is substantially equal to the diameter of any one of the pins I54. Also, the thickness of the flange I62 is preferably substantially equal to the gap between successive pins I54 so that the flange, which always projects between two successive pins I54 on the wheel I52, locks the latter against rotation in either direction, except when the same is indexed by the curved flange portion I64. When in the course of each revolution of the driver I56 in counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 6, the curved portion I64 of the flange I62 rides in the gap between two successive pins I54, the pin wheel I52 and the conveyor I49 are indexed through one step in clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2. As the curved flange portion I64 leaves the gap between successive pins I54, the adjacent flange end I62 enters the gap between the next successive pins I54, wherefore a portion of the flange I62 projects between successive pins I54 at all times and the rotation of the pin wheel I52 is under the permanent and sole control of the driver I56. Thus, the conveyor I49 is indexed one step during each revolution of the driver I 62, and the flange I 62 of the latter threads its way from pin to pin on the wheel I52 in order to lock the latter and the conveyor against rotation in either direction, except during the indexing thereof. Shaft I56 carries a helical gear II2 which is in permanent mesh with a companion gear I14, mounted on a shaft I16 which is journaled in suitable bearing brackets I18 on the machine base 34. Shaft I16 also carries a bevel gear I00 which is in permanent mesh with another bevel gear I82 on the adjacent end of the power-driven shaft 92.

Inasmuch as the paper wrappers 26 on the conveyor I49 are carried to certain stations, hereinafter described, at which they would dropfrom the conveyor by gravity, an arcuate guard I86 is placed over each conveyor wheel I48 to prevent unauthorized gravity discharge of the wrappers 26 from the latter. The arcuate guards I86 are mounted on the adjacent brackets I40 through intermediation of bracket arms I88 (Figs. 2, 3 and 6). The guards I86 are omitted in Fig. 5, and only one guard is shown in Fig. 4, in order to expose certain structure which is normally hidden thereby.

As previously explained, the wrappers 26 are finally advanced by the scissors I02 on the conveyor into correct disposition thereon in which they engage or nearly engage, a stop I92 in the form of an arcuate plate, which is mounted at I94 on one of the brackets I40 (Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6). There is also provided another stop I96 which is opposite the stop I92 and suitably suspended from the adjacent bracket arm I88 by a screw I98 (Figs. 2, 4 and 5). Thus, the wrappers 26 pass, during a portion of their travel on the conveyor I49, between the stops I92 and I96 (Fig. 2), and are prevented by them from sliding from their correct disposition on the conveyor I49.

Straw supply hbpper D Mounted at 200 on a housing 202 on the machine base 34 is a bracket 206, having spaced ends 206 and a connecting L-shaped rib or web 2I0 (Figs. 7 and 9). Extending along the web 2 I 0 and between the ends 208 of the bracket 206 are two spaced plates 2I2 and 2I4 which project through a slot 2I6 in the top wall of the housing 202 and form a discharge gate 2 I 9 for a hopper 220 on the bracket 296. The hopper 220 contains a supply of drinking straws 28 which are forced by gravity into the discharge gate 2I9. The discharge gate 2I9 is of such width as conveniently to hold a single column of superposed straws 28 in the manner shown in Fig. 9. Plate 2I2 is provided with lateral end flanges 222 which are secured at 224 to the adjacent ends 208 of the bracket 206. The opposite plate 2I4 is secured with its lower end at 226 to a square bar 228 (Figs. 8, 9 and 13) which is rotatably carried by a rod 230, mounted in the housing 262. The square bar 228 is connected with a vibrating mechanism to be described, whereby to vibrate the wall 2! 4 of the discharge gate 2I9 for the purpose of agitating the straws 28 therein and prevent them from becoming jammed. The wall 2| 4 of the discharge gate 2I9 is, therefore, so loosely fitted between the ends 208 of the bracket 200 as to permit its vibration without interference from the bracket 206. The front wall 2I2 of the discharge gate 2I9 is apertured as at 232 (Figs. 3, 6 and 8) in order to expose the straws 28 therein to full view and also gain immediate access to them in case they should become jammed after all.

The hopper 220 itself comprises opposite end brackets 240 to which are secured at 242 the end walls 244 (Fig. 6) which may be of any suitable transparent plastic sheet material. Screwed or otherwise secured at 246 to the end walls 244 of the hopper are angles 248 (Figs. 5 and 6) to which the front and rear walls 252 and 254, respectively, of the hopper are secured as at 250. The front and rear walls 252 and 254, which may be made of the same material as the end walls 244, preferably slant in the fashion shown in Fig. 2 in order to lead the straws in the hopper to the discharge gate 2I9 in the manner shown in Fig. 9. The hopper 220 is freely removable from the bracket 206, and normally rests thereon with its end brackets 240 in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 6. The hopper 220 is accurately located on the bracket 206 by means of pilot pins 256 on the latter which pass through holes in the end bracke'ts 243 of the hopper.

For vibrating the wall 214 of the discharge gate 2H3 of the hopper 229, there is provided in the housing 232 a vibration cam 26!] (Fig. 13) with which cooperates a follower 262 on a lever 264 (see also Fig. 8 which is journaled on a stub shaft 296, suitably mounted in the housing 202. Secured at 238 to the lever 234 is an arcuate link 2'!!! which is preferably somewhat elastic and connected at 212 with a lateral extension 214 of the wall 2I4 of the discharge gate 2H3 (Fig. 13). The vibration cam 239, which is provided with a plurality of lobes Zlfi, is mounted on a shaft 218 which is journaled near one end thereof in the housin 262 (Fig. 13), and near its other end in a bearing bracket 233 on the machine base '34 (Fig. The outer end of shaft 278 carries a sprocket wheel 282 over which the previously mentioned chain 33 is passed, so that shaft 218 and the vibration cam 233 are driven from the chain 93. A spring 234 normally urges lever 264 counterclockwise as viewed in Figs. 3 and 8, thereby forcing the follower 232 in permanent Straw transfer device E As best shown in Fig. 9, the lower end of the front wall 2E2 of the discharge gate H9 is inwardly'bent to form a ledge 236 on which the lowermost straw rests. from the rear wall 2I4 of the discharge gate 2I9 to form a gap 238 in which a straw ejector bar 290 is movable. The ejector bar 290 is secured at 292 to a cross piece 294 (Figs. 8 and 13) which is mounted for sliding movement on parallel bars 293 in the housing 232. The cross piece 294 is provided with a longitudinal groove 298 (Fig. 13)

in which is slidable a key 330 that is rotatably k mounted on an extension 392 of one of the conventional link-joining pivots of a chain 304, which passes over sprocket wheels 339 and 308. Sprocket wheel 336 is mounted on the power-driven shaft 278, while the other sprocket 338 is freely'rotatable on the stub shaft 253. Hence, the chain 304 is'continuously driven when the machine is in operation, and reciprocates, through intermediation of the key 333, the cross piece 294 and the ejector bar 233 from and to the retracted position shown in Fig. 8. Thus, when the chain 304 The ledge 28% is spaced reversal of the movement of the reciprocating parts 234 and 233 in each direction. The guide 312 (Fig. 8) is carried by an arm 3I4 on a rod 3I6 which is longitudinally slidable in the housing 202 and carries a collar 318, having a peripheral groove 323 in which projects an anti-friction roller 322 on one arm of a bell crank lever 324. The bell crank lever 324 is pivoted at 326 on a lug- 328 in the housing 202, and its other arm is provided with an inclined cam surface 330 which is adapted to cooperate with an anti-friction roller 332 on the cross piece 234. The bell crank lever 324 is normally urged by a spring 334 into a position in which the cam surface 33!) thereof is in the path of the roller 332 (Fig. 3) and in which the guide-carrying bar 3H5 is in its most advanced position in which a stop collar 338 thereon engages the adjacent end wall 202a of the housing 202. V

As stated above, the ejector bar 290 is adapted to remove the two lowermost straws 28 from the discharge gate 2I9 and slide them into an aligned wrapper 26 on the conveyor I49. Shortly after the ejector bar 293 advances from its most retracted position and before the leading ends shaped guide 3I2 enters the adjacent open end is driven in the direction of the arrow 3H1 in Fig. 7

8, the ejector bar 293 will, during the passage of the key 333 along the upper run 394 of the chain 334, be advanced from the most retracted full line position to the most advanced position indicated by the dot-and-dash lines 293' (Fig. 8). During such advance movement of the ejector bar 290, the same engages the adjacent ends of the two lowermost straws 28 in the discharge gate 2I9 and slides the same longitudinally out of the discharge gate and through a funnel-shaped guide 3I2 into an aligned wrapper 26 on the conveyor I49. The ejector bar 230 is retracted into the full line position shown in Fig. 8 when the key 303 passes along the lower run 304" of the chain 334, as will be readily understood. The cross piece 294 and ejector bar 290 have a harmonic motion during the passage of the key 300 around each sprocket 306 and 308, resulting in gradual of the aligned wrapper 26 (Fig. 3) for guiding the straws into the wrapper as they are ejected by the bar 293 from the discharge gate 2I9. The forward stroke of the ejector bar 290 is such as positively to advance the ejected straws into an aligned wrapper 26 on the conveyor until the straws are completely in the wrapper and spaced with their ends from the adjacent ends of the wrapper. V

Inasmuch as the ejector bar 290 is reciprocated fairly rapidly and the straws are injected equally rapidly into the wrappers 26 on the conveyor I49, it is necessary to prevent the ejected straws from being carried, by their own inertia, with their leading ends to the adjacent ends of the wrappers where they would be crushed in the subsequent sealing operation of the wrapper ends. To this end, there is provided opposite the straw-ejection station S (Figs. 3, fl, 5 and 6) a device 330 which comprises cooperating prongs 362 and 364 of sheet metal that are mounted at 366 and 368, respectively, on the arcuate stop I92. These prongs 362 and 334 form a gradually narrowing passage P (Fig. 4) through which the adjacent ends of the wrappers 26 on the conveyor I I49 travel as they approach and pass the station S, and in which these wrapper ends are substantially flattened, to such an extent that the injected straws are prevented from penetrating, by their own inertia, into these temporarily flattened wrapper ends.

Wrapper sealing device F in permanent mesh with a gear 345 on shaft 342. More particularly, the periphery of each seaming roll 344 and 346 is provided with 'nar iowly spaced indentations, the same as the previously described seaming rolls I8 and 80 that form the longitudinal seam 24 in the paper tube 22. The indented peripheries of each pair of associated rolls 344 and 346 firmly intercrirnp the adjacent end of a wrapper 26 on the conveyor and form the transverse seam 30 as the wrapper is carried, during an indexing step of the conveyor past these rolls. Each of the rolls 346 is carried by a lever 348 (Fig. 12), which is pivotally mounted at 350 on the adjacent bracket I40 and is normally urged by a spring.352 in a direction to force roll 340 against the associated roll 344. The speed ratio between the gears 343 and 345 is such that each pair of associated seaming rolls 344 and 346 advances the adjacent end of a wrapper at substantially the same speed at which the latter moves with the conveyor during an indexing step thereof.

Mode of operation When the machine is in operation, the feed rolls 50 and seaming rolls I0, 80 continuously draw paper from the supply roll 49 and form it into tubular shape on the arbor 40, sealing thereby the tube longitudinally along the seam 24 and continuously advancing the seamed tube 22 toward the conveyor I49. The leading end of the continuously forming and forwardly moving tube 22 advances, during an intermittent stop of the conveyor, into the then aligned notches I50 of the conveyor wheels I48 to the extent indicated in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 4, whereupon the scissors I02, under the control of the cam disc I26 (Fig. 10), sever a wrapper 26 from the tube 22. At that time also, the closed scissors I02 are, under the control of the cam disk I30 (Fig. 10), moved from their most retracted position in the direction of the arrow 380 in Fig. 4 at a speed which is greater than the rate at which the tube 22 advances, whereby the wrapper 26, which was just cut off, is moved or pushed by the closed scissors I 02 away from, and in advance of, the tube 22 into the longitudinal position 26" on the conveyor I49 (Fig. 4). After the wrapper is advanced by the scissors I02 into the position 26" on the conveyor I49, the latter is normally indexed one step into the position shown in Fig. 4, and the scissors I02, while continuing their forward motion at a considerably reduced rate of speed, however, in the direction of the arrow 380, are quickly opened under the control of the cam I26 (Fig. 10) bringing thereby the blade I of the open scissors into alignment with the wrapper which has now advanced to the position 26" on the conveyor. The blade I00 of the continuously advancing scissors I02 then further advances the wrapper from the position 26' on the conveyor at slow speed into the longitudinal position 26", which is the correct disposition of the wrappers on the conveyor. The initial rapid, and continuing slower, forward motion, as well as the return motion, of the scissors I02 are under the control of the cam I30 which is designed to accomplish these scissor motions in correct timed relation with the operation of the rest of the machine. Thus, the correct placement of each wrapper 26 on the conveyor I49 is accomplished by the scissors I02 in two steps, the first step being rapid but of insufficient length to cause the wrapper to move into engagement with the stop I92 and possibly rebound therefrom, and the second step being slow and taking place during a time interval at which the tube 22 has not yet sufiiciently advanced for cutting a wrapper therefrom. The scissors are, after each wrapper-positioning performance, retracted into position for cutting the next wrapper from the tube 22 which in the meantime has sufliciently advanced into the conveyor I49 to require cutting.

As shown in Fig. 5, the stop I92 is arranged in a slightlyslanting manner so as to shift any slightly displaced wrapper or wrappers 26 on the conveyor into correct disposition thereon during the passage of the wrappers between the stops 592 and I96.

While the wrappers 26 on the conveyor are advanced step-by-step with the latter, they align successively and during intermittent stops of the conveyor with the funnel-shaped guide 3I2 at the assembly station S, where two straws are in: jected into each aligned wrapper in the previously described manner.

After the wrappers 26 on the conveyor I49 have received their straws at the assembly station S, they are, on continued indexing steps of the conveyor, carried with their ends .between the opposite sets of end-seaming rolls 344, 346 by which they are sealed along the seams 30. The wrappers, which are then completely sealed, are carried by the conveyor outside the region of the guards I86 where they descend by gravity onto spaced conveyor belts 390, each of which is passed over pulleys 392 and 394 (Fig. 5). The pulleys 392 are carried by the power-driven shaft 342, while the pulleys 394 are carried by a shaft 396 which is journalled in bearing brackets 398 on the machine base 34. The completely sealed wrappers are thus carried by the conveyor belts 390 away from the conveyor I49 and over the machine base 34 to a place where they may conveniently drop into any suitable collector.

Having thus described my invention; what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for packaging drinking straws, having means for continuously feeding a paper tube axially, the combination of scissors having normally yieldingly closed, pivoted cutting blades provided with followers positioned remote from said blades, respectively, and being reciprocable longitudinally of said tube and adapted on each reciprocation thereof to sever a length. from the moving tube, means for reciprocating said scissors in timed relationship to the feed of said paper tube, and cam means to open said scissors comprising an angle movable from an inoperative position in to an operative position in which it extends longitudinally substantially parallel to the direction of movement of said scissors and its legs engage said followers, respectively, to force said scissor blades apart for the reception therebetween of said paper tube.

2. In a machine for packaging drinking straws, having a conveyor with spaced holders in which tubular wrappers are axially insertable, means at a certain station for continuously feeding a paper tube axially into aligned holders on said conveyor, and a device intermittently advancing said conveyor to bring successive holders thereof into alignment with said tube, the combination of scissors having normally closed cutting blades and being movable longitudinally of said tube into retracted, intermediate, and advanced positions, respectively, and mechanism operated in timed relation with said device for operating said scissors through a cycle during each step of said conveyor, said mechanism comprising first and second cam means for moving said scissors and for opening the blades thereof, respectively,

said first and second cam means being so designed and'operating, during a cycle of said mechanism such timed relation with each other as slowly to move the open scissors after an intermittent advance of said conveyor from an intermediate position to their advanced position with one cutting blade thereof in alignment with a previously inserted wrapper on the conveyor to push said wrapper from an intermediate position in its holder into final position therein while said tube passes between said blades and approaches and enters an aligned holder on said conveyor, then ,tomove the, open scissors into their retracted position and there close them to cut a new wrapper from said tube, then rapidly to move the closedscissors to: their intermediate position to pushrsaid' new wrapper ahead of said tube into its intermediate position in its holder, and then immediately to open the scissors during the next intermittent advance of said conveyor. 7

3. The combination in a machine as set forth in claim2, in which said scissor blades carry anti-friction rollers andare pivoted and normally anal-o4 SALVATORE A; FHA-NCO;

REFERENCE'S- CITED h p The following references are of lea-drain the file of this patent: v v V a UNITED STATES PATENT" Date Number 1 Name 7 883,803 Herz Apr. "Z',Y- 1908 1,601,710 Andersson 'Oct 5" 1926 1,637,767 Delano Aug. 2, 1927 2,014,227 Conti Sept. 10, 1935 2,075,392 Goldstein l r. 39, 1.937 2,395,803

Bruckner Mar. 5, 1946 

